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Lisa Smith is the Public Affairs Manager for Columbia Gas of Kentucky where she has held a variety of roles since joining the company in 1996. Lisa earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and advertising from the University of Kentucky. A proud Lexington native, she has dedicated her time to volunteering and has served on the Boards of numerous organizations throughout her career. 

Casandra Hockenberry is a Program Manager with The Council of State Governments Center of Innovation, where she works across a broad number of initiatives at the crossroads of data, technology and improved outcomes for citizens. She manages the Apprenticeship Data Alignment and Performance Technical Assistance Center, which is dedicated to assisting states to improve their data collection on apprentices in order to support successful programs throughout the country, the Overseas Voting Initiative, which researches ways to improve the voting process for military and overseas citizens.

Laura Hatfield, Superintendent of Community Engagement for Lexington Parks & Recreation, manages Lexington Parks five community centers, Volunteer Program, Partnership Program and marketing team.  In this position for five years and previously serving as Director of ONE Lexington and the Executive Director for Partners for Youth, Laura has been with the Lexington Fayette County Government for over 15 years.

I am a retired electrical engineer after 32 years working at IBM / Lexmark in various areas of the business and as a manager of employees in Lexington and the Philippines. I received my electrical engineering Bachelor of Science from the University of Kentucky. After retirement, I utilized my first Bachelor of Science in mathematics from George Peabody College in Nashville as a teacher of mathematics and volunteered at Carnegie Literacy Center and Homework Help with the Lexington Public Library. I have also volunteered in many capacities at St. Raphael Episcopal Church.

Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President Membership & Engagement, Commerce Lexington

Louetta (Lou) Hurst is a Lexington native who has a longstanding interest in community development and social services. She currently works in research grant development at the University of Kentucky and has extensive experience in grant writing for nonprofit organizations. She holds a BA in Biology and Classics and an MA in English Literature, as well as a Master’s of Public Administration.

Stephanie has been in the financial industry since 1993 and has a bachelor’s degree in finance is from the University of Kentucky.  She is passionate about community involvement and that includes current board positions on the Lexington Public Library and a member of the finance council of the Diocese of Lexington. She is a past board member of Surgery on Sunday, Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center, the Lexington Chapter of the American Red Cross and a past Trustee for Lexington Catholic High School, which she chaired for several years.